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The Milwaukee Brewers are sitting atop the NL Central entering July, and look to be one of the top contenders for the World Series this season.
But, with a stacked Los Angeles Dodgers roster as their top competition, Milwaukee really needs to find a way to improve the team between now and the August 3 trade deadline.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com believes the Brewers need to "add a starter or two" at the MLB trade deadline, and highlighted four reasons why the rotation needs a few arms to help Milwaukee contend in 2026.
4 reasons why Brewers need to trade for a 'starter or two' by MLB deadline
1. Young pitchers approaching career-highs in innings
"Kyle Harrison is more than halfway to his career high of 124 1/3 innings, having already thrown 77 excellent frames," Feinsand writes.
Kyle Harrison is already over halfway to his career high in innings, but why does that matter for the Brewers at the deadline? Well, Harrison is in the same boat as Jacob Misriowski, who is also nearing a career-high in innings pitched in a season.
"The Brewers figure to monitor his innings during the second half," Feinsand noted for Misriowski, who's 25.1 innings shy of his career-high innings from a year ago.
If the Brewers wish to limit their workloads in the second half, this team will need a bit more help to close out the regular season. But that's far from the only reason to add a pitcher this summer at the trade deadline.
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2. Brandon Woodruff unknown
"Brandon Woodruff has looked good in two starts since returning from the injured list, but can the Brewers count on his shoulder holding up?" Feinsand writes.
It's been great to see Woodruff pitching well for the Brewers this season, but there are still a lot of unknowns about his durability moving forward.
Relying on him as a key part of the team for the rest of the season is very risky. He should be viewed more as a luxury, rather than someone the Brewers need to rely on.
3. Season-ending injury
With Quinn Priester out for the season, the Brewers have a spot in the rotation up for grabs. Shane Drohan is currently occupying that spot, and he's been good. But, ideally, the Brewers find some better depth for the rotation this summer.
Logan Henderson and Coleman Crow are both injured right now as well, so the Brewers, if they're worried about those two returning and making lasting impacts, could turn to the trade market for more pitching help.
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4. Brandon Sproat's struggles
Lastly, the Brewers pitcher they got along with Jett Williams in the Freddy Peralta trade with the New York Mets over the winter hasn't exactly panned out.
He has a 5.28 ERA this season in 16 games and 14 starts with 80 strikeouts in 75 innings pitched. Milwaukee cannot fully rely on him come October, especially against top teams like the Dodgers.
Why Brewers should target pitching at MLB trade deadline
Overall, between the Brewers getting lackluster production from Sproat, Priester's season-ending injury, the innings limit for Misriowski and Harrison, and the unknown with Woodruff, starting pitching help makes a lot of sense for this team.
While they don't need to land someone like Tarik Skubal, a starting pitcher like Robbie Ray, Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, or maybe even a reunion with Peralta would make a lot of sense.
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